


I Don't Want to Be Alone Anymore...

by MeganeSensei (zlabya)



Category: Strangers in Paradise
Genre: F/F, Friends to Lovers, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-09
Updated: 2011-10-09
Packaged: 2017-10-24 10:52:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/262656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zlabya/pseuds/MeganeSensei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How Casey and Tambi became a couple. Inspired by them, plus the song "I Don't Want to Be Alone Anymore" by Billy Joel.</p><p>Disclaimer: I am not Terry Moore or Billy Joel, don't own the rights to their work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Don't Want to Be Alone Anymore...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [My best friend (not on Ao3--yet)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=My+best+friend+%28not+on+Ao3--yet%29).



_She said she'd meet me in the bar_  
At the Plaza Hotel  
"Wear a jacket and a tie"  
"What's the occasion?" She  
She just smiled and she wouldn't why 

They ran into each other on the street in Houston. Literally. Must have been like running into a brick wall for Casey, Tambi assumed.

Ooh! I'm sorry!" Casey looked up with that man-winning smile of hers. Odd that it didn't change to disappointment when she saw she'd run into a fellow female. "Hi, Tambi! Long time no see!"

"Yeah."

"Sorry to run into you like that. Are you okay?"

As if anything less than a small bomb could truly damage Tambi. And even then, the worst damage she'd taken was a broken arm...

Tambi mentally gave herself a shake. What was Miss Congeniality saying now?

"...drink? It'll be fun. I'm buying."

"Where? When?"

"Central Plaza, you know, that impressive bar they have with the leather seats and the real brass rail? It's a nice place, so you should probably dress up." Now Casey was eyeing Tambi's cargo pants and tank top.

"Yes, ma'am. You did say you were buying."

"I did. Having a good week, and I want to spread it around. Five-thirty okay?"

"Sure."

Casey winked. Winked! "See you then."

***

 _So here I am standing, waiting in the lobby_  
Sweating bullets in this stupid old suit  
And when she sees me she busts out laughing  
"You're a sad sight honey, but you look so cute"

Hell. Here she was in her slate-blue business pantsuit, the one she wore to meet with government clients, five-forty five and no Casey.

"Hello!! Waiting long?"

There she was, sashaying her way through the wall of suits in a blue-and-magenta tube dress that concealed nothing but whether the rug matched the drapes, with just the right amount of rosy-pink lipstick on that delicious little mouth...

Don't think that way, Tambi. She's probably strictly boys-only, and even if she isn't her taste probably runs to dusky, leather-clad butches, not a closet marshmallow like--

"Oof!" Last time she'd been hit like that she'd been grateful for her body armor. Casey sure packed a mean hug, tits and all. Very nice--once you can start breathing again.... Reminded her of...what? Yeah, the time she first met Casey. Katchoo had been the victim--uh, recipient of Casey's hug that time.

"Sorry I'm late," Amazingly enough, Casey didn't flash a smile this time, just climbed onto the bar stool Tambi secured with one of her forbidding looks. The little blonde's head was bowed slightly like a puppy who'd just made a mess. "Boss caught me on the way out. Wants me to take the 8 am class tomorrow, ugh! Overworked executives squeezing in aerobics so their bodies don't atrophy like their spirits have."

"That's business for you." Both the last-minute demands and the spirit-destroying bit, in Tambi's opinion. One reason Tambi stuck with counterterrorism as a career. Gah, meetings, contracts that said more than "get it done just don't tell us how and we pay you," and wearing fucking _pantyhose_ every day/

"I told him no. Want to sleep late tomorrow, and as long as I can pay the rent, I don't care about the money. Besides, I'm the best, I don't have to suck up."

Nice to be confident. Oh, right. People think the same about you, Tambi. Can't be otherwise, with that take-charge manner, toughness-personified looks, and skills that would make Rambo wet his shorts. Then why couldn't she think of another damn thing to say? And why had she downed two scotches before Casey even showed up?

"I'm buying. Mine and hers." Casey was smiling winningly at the barkeep, a tuxedoed redhead built like...well, like Casey. Hmm, maybe she _does_ play for both teams.

"So, how's life treating you these days?" Casey turned back to her.

"Eh, not bad. Between contracts for a few weeks, so I'm taking it easy. Getting this suit to the dry cleaner's for one." Tambi tugged at a lapel.

"Very classy. You do clean up nicely. Thank you." A nod to the bartender who proffered...oh my God, was that actually...yes. Scotch on the rocks. Thought for sure Casey'd be the Cosmo type. Or, God forbid, strawberry daquiris.

Oh. Casey had complimented her. Sorta.

"Thanks. My best business suit, also suitable for drinking Scotches with..." oh, hell, she couldn't say "beautiful women" could she? "friends with good taste."

That didn't seem to go down to well with Casey, who was twisting on her stool a bit...awkwardly? Tambi scanned her body language. Yep, legs twisted around that stool as if for security. Long, nicely muscled legs with only a hint of a tan and no damn pantyhose. Plus strappy high-heeled magenta sandals ...ohGod _two_ of Tambi's kinks, fuck-me sandals _and_ petal-pink nail polish. If I can lean a little closer I can tell if she's three for four...

"Is that a reference to my choice in bars, or the Glenlivit?" There was that smile again and...no, Casey must have _accidentally_ tapped her ankle with those pink-tipped toes of hers.

"Both." Tambi took another sip of her own Scotch. "I like to live elegantly when I'm not...working." Casey was definitely not on the need-to-know about Tambi's line of business. Matter of fact, her half-sister was the only person not on her team who knew about that.

"So, you do...security, I guess?"

"Yeah. Pretty high level."

"Which means, that's all you can tell me. about it."

"Got it," Tambi nodded. Smarter than I thought. Well, her little sister Katchoo wouldn't pal around with a complete idiot. Though this chick did marry the incomparably idiotic Freddy Femur. But Tambi wouldn't hold that against her. The past was past, and look who _she_ used to work for.

"Sounds more interesting than teaching aerobics to overweight housewives and harried career women."

"That's important, though. Keep them healthy. And I've taken a few aerobics classes in my time myself."

"Oh! I should have guessed. You look like you have so much stamina..." Damn, Casey's hand was on her arm..."and those muscles aren't just for looks."...now a squeeze. Aah, princess, want to try that without the jacket? And the pants? The blouse underneath is silk too, and under that... it ain't no white-cotton JC Penney's special.

Damn, she was losing it big-time. And was the barkeep refreshing her drink? Yes, she was. Keep track, Tambi, you don't want to fall off this barstool. Even into Ms. Adorable's arms.

"What do you do to keep in shape these days?" Casey twirled her glass, eyes directly meeting Tambi's.

Oh, shit, now we're talking shop. Hell, can't we get a little more personal?

"Wind sprints most mornings, plus I've got a Bowflex and one of those endless swimming pools in my townhouse."

"Must get lonely." Casey leaned in closer.

Jackpot! Three in a row!! She was wearing _Johnson's Baby Powder._ Those champagne silk panties Tambi had picked up on a six-hour layover in Paris were definitely getting damp.

"Yeah, it's kinda boring," she managed to say in a reasonably normal tone of voice. "Though I usually put on some music."

"Oh? Who?"

"Depends on my mood. Sting, Griffin Silver, sometimes a little Gershwin..."

"'There's a certain someone I'm longing to see...'" Casey sang in a slightly off-key yet sweet soprano.

That did it. Tambi was in love.

 _I don't want to be alone anymore_  
I was checking you out  
I was just making sure  
No, I don't want to be alone anymore  
And, I want you tonight  
Although you hurt me before  
It didn't matter that I felt like a fool  
'Cause I forgot when she walked through the door  
I said I'm sorry, but she said it was cool  
And I don't want to be alone anymore 

***

 _It's so confusing choosing sides_  
In the heat of the moment  
Just to see if it's real 

Tambi had not intended to go home with Casey. But she had had a little more to drink than usual, and Casey lived only eight or nine blocks away, and Casey smelled so damn good.

Casey put a hand on her back as if to guide her down the sidewalk. Then, after they turned a corner onto a surprisingly quiet street with actual trees on it, her hand glided magically upward and fingertips just barely brushed the nape of Tambi's neck.

Tambi thought twice, three times--but not very hard--and stepped over the threshold into Casey's apartment.

"Make yourself at home," Casey waved expansively at the living room, then ducked into a tiny galley kitchen. The place was...homey: random high-heeled shoes and cross-training sneakers scattered on the floor; an unfinished bowl of Lucky Charms on the floor; the wall adorned with pictures: a squinting Katchoo at the beach; Casey flipping burgers with a small boy standing by eagerly holding out a paper plate, and an unframed formal shot of a stocky curly-haired man in a suit with innumerable punctures blotting out the face--and the crotch.

Tambi smirked at that last image, that expression quickly morphing to a grateful smile as Casey reappeared with two tall glasses.

"Here ya go. Replenish after that walk and all that alcohol." Casey handed over a glass. Ice water with a sprig of fresh mint, which went down well after the oven-like Houston night air.

Casey kicked off her sandals, each going in a separate direction. "Aahhh..." She took a drink, then held the glass to her forehead. "Make yourself comfortable...as comfortable as you like."

Off came Tambi's loafers, and she slung her jacket over a nearby chair. Then she undid the second and third buttons of her blouse.

"Silk..." Casey reached out a hand and tentatively fondled Tambi's collar. "I buy it when I can...ah, hell." She set down her glass and leaned in close. "Tambi, I want to find out what's underneath that blouse, and I don't mean just your boobs, even though I'm very interested in them. What I really want to learn is, what sorta heart beats inside that chest?" Casey gazed up at Tambi, sincere inquiry in her blue eyes, as she rested her little blond head against Tambi's shoulder.

Tambi broke then and there. She stroked her companion's soft hair, then pressed her lips to the crown of Casey's head. "A woman's heart." she murmured. "No more, no less."

That sweet face tilted up to hers. So easy for their lips to meet, then their tongues. Casey's pink-tipped fingers were at the flat pearl buttons of Tambi's blouse. And that tube dress peeled off easily, if ever so slowly...

 

_It's so erotic having you  
Tell me how it should feel_

 

Tambi was sure she'd never seen anything so delightful as Casey wriggling out of her tiny baby-blue panties on top of that huge bed, eyes all for Tambi herself.

Oh gods. Best gift I've ever, ever received. Please let this be--

Casey reached for her. "I have toys if you want. But, no, let it be just you and me. I want only your fine fingers, my queen." Casey's own fingers tickled Tambi's belly, making her chuckle."Oh, you're a big sweetie, I knew it. Come here, Tambi."

They were tumbled on the bed together, delicate tongue-flicks and nibbles all over as they each mock-battled for the territory they wanted. Tambi mounted a sideways assault down Casey's ribs and waist to twisted to inhale the sea-brine-and-sweetness between her thighs. _Oh, gods, yes, she isn't one of those idiot girls who shaves it all off._ Such lovely close-cropped chestnut curls, and exquisite ruffled rose-violet petals... She bent down to take a taste.

"Delicious," she breathed, looking up. "And oh, so beautiful."

Tambi bent down to enjoy herself, and more so to enjoy Casey's alternating cries of "Yes...nooo...yes pleaaase... and then her commanding " _There_ " as she took Tambi's head in her hands, holding her at just the right spot.

And later it was Tambi's turn to be appreciated, little Casey-kisses and nibbles from her forehead to a spot just below her ankle that Tambi had never learned about before, and if not everywhere in between, then all the important places.

Casey was right. Nothing more was needed but each other. Ever.

***

 _But I'm avoiding all the hard cold facts_  
That I've got to face  
So ask me just one question  
When this magic night is through  
Could it have been just anyone  
Or did it have to be you?

Tambi woke up the next morning to a slim arm wrapped about her, a hand resting on the upper swell of her left breast, and a succulent thigh tucked between hers. She began to stretch, trying not to disturb her little clinging vine, but felt an answering snuggle.

"You're so warm," Casey murmured. "And so soft and warm. My big snuggly teddy bear."

Tambi couldn't help chuckling. What would her subordinates think of that? She knew what she thought, and what she hoped.

"I'll get you breakfast, sweetie." Casey pressed a kiss against the back of Tambi's shoulder. "Bagels and light-cream cheese okay? And how do you take your coffee?"

"Full-caf, with real milk."

"I'm out of milk, but I'll hop over to the convenience store for some." Tambi could hear rummaging through drawers. "Though I suppose I should shower first!" Casey giggled.

"Yes, you should. Or the clerk might ask for some of what I got last night."

"He's not getting any. I'm utterly yours from now on." Swooping back onto the bed, Casey placed a kiss right on Tambi's lips. Then she swirled away toward the door, singing, "I got my girl, who could ask for anything more?"

Tambi sprawled on the bed smiling. This was unquestionably the best morning of her life.  
 _And, will you still be saying--_

 _I don't want to be alone anymore_  
I was checking you out  
I was just making sure  
No, I don't want to be alone anymore  
And, I want you tonight  
Although you hurt me before  
It didn't matter that I felt like a fool  
'Cause I forgot when she walked through the door  
I said I'm sorry, but she said it was cool  
And I don't want to be alone anymore   



End file.
